One Vegan and One Flirt: Chocolate Christmas Cupcakes!

I LOVE Christmas, for both what Christmas really means (the birth of Jesus) and for the love everyone shows. Every year our family hosts Christmas day. At about 4 pm all the family shows up (usually around 40 people, including lots and lots of little ones) and we have appetizers and drinks and eat a full Christmas meal around 6 pm (my mom does most of the cooking, but every family will bring something). Afterwards we'll sit around singing Christmas carols, talk or play with the little ones and enjoy some dessert. Jay and I decided to add another addition to the dessert table with some vegan chocolate cupcakes (Noah LOVES chocolate).

(I also make a delicious cranberry quinoa salad)

I will definitely share some awesome pictures from Dan, Jay and Noah's Christmas visit (they are leaving tomorrow... so sad), but right now I will share the recipe of the chocolate cupcakes (SO good).

Mmm.... batter...

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes: ~12 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp vegan cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup soymilk

1/4 canola oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

Icing Ingredients:

Earth balance

Soymilk

Cocoa

Icing sugar

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 350 F and line the muffin tin with muffin cups/parchment

-Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt

-In a separate bowl, mix the soy milk, oil, applesauce, maple syrup, sugar, vinegar and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes

-Add the dry mixture to the wet and beat for another minute

-Fill each cup 2/3 full and bake for 25-30 minutes, remove from oven and allow to fully cool on wire racks

-Mix together icing ingredients (for icing, I usually just start mixing and if it is too solid, add more milk, too liquidy, more sugar/cocoa, if too sweet, more cocoa, if too cocoa-y, add more sugar.... and so on)

-Ice cupcakes only after they are fully cooled... and add fun toppings!